Thursday, February 2, 2023

Shiny, Happy People

 The concluding scene of The Last Laugh depicts the incredible gluttony and generosity of the unnamed, demoted doorman after he miraculously inherits a fortune from a dying American millionaire. He feasts on mounds of food, eating caviar as if it were candy and drinking champagne as if it were water. A tracking shot of the "spread" emphasizes the opulence and indulgence of our hero. What is the point of this ending? Is is a happy ending or a parody of a happy ending? Is this supposed to be objective reality or a fantasy? Is this a cynical commercial ploy or is there deeper significance to the ending?

at

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2023 at 6:13 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Projecting on the Iron Curtain

Daisies  is produced in a communist country during the period of liberalization known as the Prague Spring.  With an anarchic narrative stru...

  • War . . . What Is It Good for?
    The movie  The General  set during the Civil War tells the unlikely story of a train engineer, rejected by the military with no obvious comb...
  • He'd Hang His Mother to Get Re-Elected
    The film  His Girl Friday  is all fun and games -- but there is some sharp social satire at the same time.  Major social institutions such a...
  • Rosebud
     Rosebud is perhaps the most famous symbol in movie history. What is the significance of the name "rosebud?" What is the significa...